Dad is Retiring!

We’ll be closing this site on December 31, 2020.

As of June 2, 2020, we’ll no longer be updating content. But don’t worry - Dad’s friends can still help with all your Disney dreaming, planning, and booking needs!

Thank you for your support of Dad’s Guide to WDW for the past 11 years!

What to do now that the Disney Vacation Account is Closing?

“I came across an email a few weeks ago that said that Disney is getting rid of the vacation account. In Friday’s lunch with Dad, can you discuss what we can do now that the Disney Vacation Account is closing and if there are any other similar options being offered.”

Disney Vacation Account is Closing

Connie, you are correct. The Disney Vacation Account is closing. I think it was by the end of September it’s going to be closed. If you had any money in the Disney Vacation Account, they’re going to return it to you. If you did have money, you need to go today, go online and close your account.

I’m serious. Go close your account. In fact, it will hurt if you don’t close your account. If you close your account, you can get Disney gift cards back from Disney, with the amount that you had in your account plus 5%. They’ll give you 5% just for closing your account and getting the gift cards.

How to save to go see Lightning McQueen at the Art of Animation – Photo by Rich Ramos

If you wait and let Disney close your account, they’re not going to give you any extra. They’re just going to send the money back to where they got it from, to your credit card, or however you paid them. So go today and close your account. That’s the first thing you need to do.

Ways to Save

All right, so what does that mean going forward? What it means is, you’ve got to find, if you’re trying to save money, you’ve got to find another way. The easiest way is go to your bank, open a savings account. That’s what we did. This week we went to the bank and we opened a savings account to start putting money in for our Disney trips.

If you have the Target Red Card, their credit card, you can go to Target, you can buy Disney gift cards, which you get … I believe it was 5% off. That’s a really good deal. That Target Red Card gets you 5% off of anything including gift cards. So, if you buy a $100 in gift cards, you pay them $95. Great deal.

Costco, some of those kinds of places, sometimes have packets of deals on packets of gift cards. So you’ve just got to keep watching and looking for ways to save money.

You can always pay along. Once you’ve made a reservation, you can pay on your reservation. You can pay $100 a week, you can pay $20 a week, you can pay any amount at anytime, once you’ve made your reservation. Our partners at Destinations to Travel can help you out with that.

Dad’s Bottom Line

Bottom line is, yes, the Disney Vacation Account program is going away. Go close your account. Get that gift card. Get that 5% from Disney. And then, you’re just going to have to find ways, Target, your bank, Costco and paying along the way to save money now that the Disney Vacation Account is closing.